The first record of a peacock in the Middle East, taken there from its homeland in the Indus Valley, was when King Solomon imported them c.950 BCE. The story of the peacock spread westwards and its impact on different countries is both surprising and fascinating. Peacocks became the subject of fairy stories, legends, fables, myths and superstitions. This is the first book to bring together all the facets of the peacock including natural and social history, its role in religions and mythology in the east and west, and its place in the history of art and artefacts.